Ex-Juventus chief Moggi: Sarri always makes excusesby Carlos Volcanoa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveFormer Juventus director Luciano Moggi has slammed coach Maurizio Sarri.Sarri blamed the Florence heat for their 0-0 draw at Fiorentina.”He has the habit of always looking for excuses. He does it everywhere he goes,” Moggi told Radio Punto Nuovo.“It’s bad for football and Conte was right to answer him that way. I’ve always thought that to change the game, it’s necessary to change the players, which he didn’t do.“Juventus have great champions who can win a game at any moment, but their game won’t change.“Allegri left because an era had ended and because they wanted to change a style of play that everyone attacked.” About the authorCarlos VolcanoShare the loveHave your sayread more

BEIJING, China – China’s government defended its trade record as a benefit to the world in a new effort Thursday to defuse U.S. and European pressure over market access and technology policy.A Cabinet report repeated promises to cut tariffs and open more industries to investment. But it didn’t address complaints about plans to create Chinese global technology competitors that are at the heart of a spiraling trade dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.China’s growth “has brought great opportunities to trading partners all over the world,” a deputy commerce minister, Wang Shouwen, said at a news conference.The report highlights the clash between Beijing’s insistence it has honoured market-opening promises made when it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 and arguments by Washington, Europe and others that Beijing improperly hampers access to emerging industries and steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.Trump’s threat of tariff hikes on up to $450 billion of Chinese products reflects fears Beijing’s plans are a threat to American technological leadership and prosperity. China has tried to recruit Europe as an ally in the dispute but faces complaints by Germany and other governments that it bars purchases of Chinese assets while its own companies are on a global acquisition spree.Asked about possible U.S. plans to restrict Chinese investment in technology industries, Wang said, “We hope countries concerned can do the right thing and adopt policies that support free trade and investment.”Thursday’s report was the latest effort by President Xi Jinping’s government to deflect pressure to change development tactics by highlighting the benefits of trade with the world’s second-largest economy.The United States and other trading partners say China’s emergence as a competitor in smartphones, solar panels and other fields means it no longer qualifies for the protections it was granted as a developing country when it joined the WTO.Beijing has offered to narrow its multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States but has resisted pressure to roll back a state-led industry strategy seen by Communist leaders as a path to prosperity and global influence.Thursday’s report emphasized changes since China joined the WTO including cuts in import duties and improved protection of foreign patents and copyrights.Foreign business groups say while Beijing has made legal changes promised when it joined the WTO, regulators have thrown up new barriers by imposing licensing and other requirements.The dispute with Trump has allowed China, the most closed major economy, to position itself as a defender of free trade.This week, Beijing and the European Union announced they will form a group to work on modernizing WTO rules to keep pace with developments in the global economy. An EU vice-president said Europe wants to focus on technology policy, subsidies and the status of state companies – all issues on which Beijing has disputes with other governments.Chinese officials have tried to appeal to Europe by promising to buy more of its farm goods and saying its companies are welcome to invest.They repeated that message during visits by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in May and French Premier Edouard Philippe this week, though they did not address complains about market and investment barriers.Merkel and other European officials are frustrated by Trump’s tactics but say they are not allying with Beijing.read more

TORONTO – Canada’s housing sector is facing a high degree of vulnerability to market instability for the eighth straight quarter with Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Hamilton taking on the brunt of the risks, said the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.Those four markets were facing high risks because home prices remain higher than levels supported by the economy and cities’ demographics, said the Crown corporation in a quarterly report it released Thursday based on an analysis of overheating, overvaluations, overbuilding and accelerations in pricing in 15 regions across the country.“Despite the stability in these results, we note that the trends in both overvaluation and price acceleration have been moving in such a way that suggests that vulnerabilities are gradually dissipating,” said CMHC chief economist Bob Dugan, alluding to the recent slowdowns that have been seen in sales volumes and price growth in British Columbia and Ontario.“It can take awhile for that imbalance to solve itself. It is not so much that we are waiting for prices to fall (because) this imbalance can be resolved in any number of ways, whether prices slow or fundamentals grow more rapidly.”In Vancouver and Toronto, Dugan said more affordable forms of housing, including condos, have been the strongest contributors to price fluctuations.His corporation has detected signs of moderate overheating in Vancouver, although price growth has been slowing over the last two quarters and detached properties in some areas are seeing declining prices.In Toronto, CMHC said sales continued to trend lower in the first quarter of 2018, well below the threshold for overheating. The drop in sales and decline in the average price of single-detached homes, it found, continued to weigh on the overall average price.It said market conditions for condos continue to remain “tight,” contributing to stronger price growth for such housing.Meanwhile Ottawa, Winnipeg, Montreal, St. John’s, Moncton, Halifax fared much better. CMHC said they were among the regions with a low risk of vulnerability to market instability.However, CMHC said it was paying close attention to Winnipeg, where home prices are creeping up despite declines in personal disposable income, and Montreal, which it flagged last quarter as being a market to watch because of strong growth in house prices that could warrant a change to a moderate vulnerability rating if price acceleration persists.That moderate vulnerability rating is already being held by Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina because of overbuilding.The rating has been fuelled in Calgary and Edmonton by overbuilding because condo inventory is high, but in Saskatoon was driven by a price decline that has been “significantly larger” in the townhouse category where supply has been far exceeding demandIn Regina, CMHC attributed the moderate rating to downward pressure on home prices.read more

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The North Peace Gymnastics Association says it is losing money because it is on the hook today for the disposal of spoiled donations and even garbage that is being dropped off outside the Diabetes Foundation donation bins in the Wal-Mart and Wholesale Club parking lots.Gymnastics Association manager Chantelle Yates explained that the Association is contracted out by the Diabetes Foundation to take care of the bins, since the closest branch is located in Edmonton. Yates said that usually, volunteers with the Association empty the bins between once and twice a week, but have been unable to after snow was hard-pressed against the bin doors.Normally, Yates said the club receives 75 cents from the Diabetes Foundation for every 20 lbs. bag of clothing that is collected and sorted. She explained that clothing that is went is not suitable for donation, and needs to be thrown in the trash. However, even though the bins have been plowed in, Yates said residents are dropping off clothing that is not bagged, broken toys, and even garbage outside the bins. “It’s become a dump,” said Yates. “We loaded up two truckloads, went down to the dump. It’s $25 to dump it. I went to Wal Mart the next day and sure enough there was an entire pickup load full of stuff. We can’t stop people from dumping, but there’s a lot of other organizations that will take it right now.”Yates said that the Association has had to spend nearly $100 in tipping fees in the past several weeks. She explained that even if the Association were to ask the Diabetes Foundation to remove the bins, it wouldn’t be possible to remove them until the snow melts later this Spring.read more

The Ohio State baseball team won its rubber match with Illinois, 7-3, after splitting the first two games of the weekend series. OSU wore camouflage uniforms for Sunday’s game to pay tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. They were originally going to wear them for Tuesday night’s game against Akron, but the game was rained out. A bombing took place at the Boston Marathon April 15, which led to three deaths and more than 180 injuries. One suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed and the other, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured over the weekend. The Fighting Illini struck first in the top half of the first inning with two RBI singles by redshirt junior left fielder Jordan Parr and senior third baseman Brandon Hohl, giving them an early 2-0 lead. OSU responded with a big inning in the bottom of the second, when it added six runs of its own including a three-run home run by redshirt senior second baseman Ryan Cypret. The three-run shot was Cypret’s third home run of the season. “We stayed confident,” Cypret said. “High fastball first pitch, then just a low curveball that somehow the stars aligned and I hit it out.” In the following inning, Illinois was able to get one run back on an RBI single by senior center fielder Justin Parr, trimming the Buckeyes’ lead to 6-3. The Buckeyes knocked freshman pitcher Ryan Castellanos out of the game in the bottom of the fifth when freshman third baseman Jacob Bosiokovic hit a one-out RBI double, making the score 7-3. Senior right-hander Brett McKinney replaced senior pitcher Brian King in the top of the seventh with two outs. King allowed three runs and eight hits in 6.2 innings. In the top of the ninth, the Buckeyes brought sophomore closer Trace Dempsey into the game in a non-save situation to get some work. Dempsey retired the Illini in order and ended the game with a strikeout to give OSU its 25th win, 7-3. The Buckeyes improve to 25-13 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten play. Illinois falls to 24-12 on the year and 6-6 in conference competition. King was the winning pitcher and improved his record to 6-4 with a 2.50 ERA. Castellanos took the loss and falls to 2-1 with a 5.20 ERA. Although King struggled in the first inning, when the Buckeyes were able to give him a comfortable lead, he knew he was going to be able to settle in. “I could put my fastball where I wanted it,” King said. “They picked me up so I knew I needed to pick them up for the rest of the game.” OSU coach Greg Beals was pleased with the way the Buckeyes have played the last two games, and even happier that they have won two Big Ten series in a row. “We’ve done it two weekends in a row,” Beals said. “This should be a learning experience for them and learning how to win and what it takes to win games. It really speaks a lot in terms of their competitive toughness.” The Buckeyes don’t play again until Friday, when they are set to open a weekend series with Penn State at Bill Davis Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.read more

After missing out on Lyon’s Nabil Fekir, Liverpool has now set their sights on signing Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri.With a reported release clause of €13.5 – a steal in the current market – the Swiss midfielders stock has skyrocketed and Jurgen Klopp’s side are the favourites to secure his services.Shaqiri was relegated last season with Stoke and is surely too big a name and too great a talent to spend next season languishing in the Championship.Despite an abysmal season on the team front, individually Shaqiri still often stood out and managed to contribute 8 goals and 7 assists for the Potters.At 26 years of age, the Switzerland international is approaching his prime and after failed spells with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the past, he could well be ready for another stab at the big time at Anfield.Report: Origi cause Klopp injury concerns George Patchias – September 14, 2019 Divock Origi injury in today’s game against Newcastle is a cause for concern for Jurgen Klopp.Perhaps with one eye on Tuesday’s trip to Italy…Following his country’s friendly win over Japan at the weekend, the winger remained coy on speculation, responding plainly to questions over his future: “I can’t tell you anything, my agents take care of my future. I’m focusing on the national team right now.”The Stoke Sentinel reported that talks began as early as last Friday between the two clubs, with plenty of time before the World Cup for this deal to be finalised.read more

French legend Lillian Thuram, revealed details of when he first heard about Lionel Messi and sent Ousmane Dembele a bit of useful advice.French defender Lillian Thuram has been retired from football for some time now, he does altruistic work now and always finds time to reminisce about his past life as a player when he shared a dressing room with the likes of Lionel Messi between 2006 and 2008.During the time when Leo first played against a professional club even before his official debut, Thuram was part of that Juventus squad that the Argentine faced in a friendly match when both squads played the Gamper Trophy.The Frenchman missed the game at that time, but he remembers Lionel Messi’s name even from that time.“The first time I heard about Messi I was playing for Juventus,” Thuram told Marca.“The squad went to play the Gamper Trophy. I didn’t make it, I stayed in Turin. I believe I was coming back from the national team.”“When the squad returned, everybody kept talking about this 17-year old kid whose name was Messi and was impossible to stop.”“It was years later when I arrived in Barcelona, that I was able to assess that he would make it big. He was simply the best,” he added.Match Preview: Barcelona vs Valencia Boro Tanchev – September 14, 2019 Is derby time in La Liga, as Barcelona welcomes Valencia to the Camp Nou Stadium tonight at 21:00 (CET).When asked about his compatriot Dembele’s discipline situation, Thuram had some words of wisdom to share with the young player.“He is a great player, that’s the most important thing. I would advise him to learn from the veterans,” he continued.“I was young as well and you have to learn from your elder when you arrive at any club. We can’t make a big fuzz out of the whole subject.”“If I only talked about all the football players who were undisciplined that I came across in my career, I would talk for a whole month,” he concluded.Thuram on Dembélé: “The important thing is he’s a top player. I’d tell him when you move clubs to learn from the veterans. There’s no need to turn his term into drama. If I could talk about the great players I’ve seen not doing the right things, I’d be talking for over a month.” pic.twitter.com/6U6d4EdsQm— Barça Centre (@barcacentre) December 26, 2018read more

German great Lothar Matthaus has boldly predicted how the Bundesliga table for the 2018/19 season will turn out come the end of the seasonTo the surprise of many, Bayern Munich’s hopes of a seventh league title in a row are under serious threat from runaway leaders Borussia Dortmund.BVB’s perfect combination of youth and experience has proven to be, perhaps, the catalyst behind their title charge with youngsters Jadon Sancho, Achraf Hakimi and Jacob Bruun Larsen all starring. while the likes of Marco Reus and Axel Witsel have also been receiving plaudits for their respective efforts.Currently, Lucien Favre’s men lead Bayern by six points from their opening 18 games with only one defeat.Now Matthaus has laid out his final predictions for this season’s Bundesliga table to Sport Bild with Dortmund narrowly clinching the league title from Bayern by a single point.Crouch: Liverpool could beat Man United to Jadon Sancho Andrew Smyth – September 14, 2019 Peter Crouch wouldn’t be surprised to see Jadon Sancho end up at Liverpool one day instead of his long-term pursuers Manchester United.The German World Cup winner, who won the Bundesliga seven times at Bayern, predicted last week that his old club will struggle to break Dortmund’s hold of top spot.“I still believe Dortmund will decide the title race in their own favour. But if anyone can catch up with them, then, of course, it’s Bayern,” said Matthaus.RB Leipzig will finish third with Borussia Monchengladbach, who were one of the surprise packages from the first-half of the campaign, completing the top-four.But Hannover 96 and FC Nürnberg will be relegated with Fortuna Dusseldorf finishing in the relegation play-off spot, which will see them face whoever finishes third in the Bundesliga 2 in a two-legged play-off tie for a place in next season’s top-tier division.Matthaus’ final 2018/19 Bundesliga table after all 34 gamesBorussia Dortmund – 79 pointsBayern Munich – 78 pointsRB Leipzig – 65 pointsBorussia Monchengladbach – 63 pointsTSG Hoffenheim – 56 pointsEintracht Frankfurt – 55 pointsBayer Leverkusen – 54 pointsVfL Wolfsburg – 46 pointsWerder Bremen – 44 pointsHertha BSC – 43 pointsSchalke 04 – 40 pointsMainz 05 – 35 pointsSC Freiburg – 35 pointsVfB Stuttgart – 33 pointsFC Augsburg – 31 pointsFortuna Düsseldorf – 30 pointsHannover 96 – 26 pointsFC Nurnberg – 22 pointsread more

Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享Updated: Additional two hour delay- the Kenai Peninsula College, Cook Inlet Academy, and Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Early Childhood Center preschool, after school and Early Head Start home visiting are cancelled for Monday.Grace Lutheran School is on a two hour delay start and all Pre-K and K classes have been cancelled. A two hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and staff arrives at school two hours later than normal, and all Pre-K morning session classes are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time. All morning Pre-K class sessions are cancelled during a two-hour delay start. Original Post: All Kenai Peninsula Borough schools will open with a two hour delay start on Monday, February 18, due to weather conditions throughout the Peninsula. If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools that announcement will be made about 7:00am. Parents and guardians, if you decide, based on conditions near you to keep your child at home, absences will be excused.read more